Bihar government to make e-Shakti cards for over 5 crore people

PATNA: Bihar government today announced that it would make available e-Shakti cards for 5.19 crore adults in the next four years, on which a whopping sum of Rs 632 crore would be spent.

A decision to this effect was taken by the state cabinet which approved the proposal for making the cards for adults above 18 years old in rural and urban areas in Bihar.

The meeting was presided over by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Briefing reporters after the state Cabinet meet, state Cabinet coordination department principal secretary Ravikant said e-Shakti cards will be made for 4.67 crore adults in rural and 52 lakh people in urban areas in Bihar.

The cards would have account numbers, photographs and finger prints, he said, adding that e-Shakti was started in the state in 2007 for MNREGS and other schemes.

These biometric details will help beneficiaries avail state and centrally sponsored schemes without any hitch.

Under the Pilot project 13.5 lakh e-Shakti cards were ready in Patna district, Ravikant said.